Creamy Garbanzo Bean Soup

4.79 from 19 votes

My creamy Garbanzo bean soup, made with rosemary, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and parmesan, is a simple recipe packed with wonderful Tuscan flavors and rich in fiber and protein. It's such an easy one-pot soup to prepare in 45 minutes, and I love that is also gluten-free and vegan!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 286.5kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Equipment

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion finely chopped
8 garlic cloves minced
4 cups water or low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary or ¼ tsp dried
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
45 oz chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 3 cans
15 oz diced tomatoes, undrained 1 can
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp grated fresh Parmesan cheese 1½ ounces
6 oz fresh baby spinach chopped, optional if you want extra greens

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven (or a large pot) over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in the water, rosemary, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and drained and rinsed chickpeas, and bring to a boil. Note: If using spinach, add it in here. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.
Place 2 cups soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour the pureed soup into a bowl. Repeat procedure with 2 cups soup. (Note: the other alternative here is to use a hand blender - it works a lot more quickly and is a lot less messy!)
If using a blender, return all pureed soup to pan.
Stir in the vinegar, and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat. Spoon 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; sprinkle each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Notes

My #1 Secret Tip for this creamy garbanzo soup is to use a dutch Oven, large Saucepan, or stockpot: This recipe for garbanzo bean soup makes a lot of soup, so I recommend using a large pot. Doing so allows you to easily combine and stir ingredients and gives room to blend with the immersion blender without splashing.
Sauté Onions And Garlic First: For best results, I saute the onions and garlic until they become translucent. This will deepen the flavor and soften them so they meld easily with other ingredients.
Blend in Small Batches: To prevent the soup from exploding everywhere, like it did to me the first time, I recommend blending in batches if using a food processor! Try adding 2 cups of soup at a time, blending at a slow speed, increasing gradually to achieve a creamy, smooth consistency. Use an oven mitt to hold the blender if needed, especially if your container is all glass.
Drain And Rinse Garbanzo Beans: Before using canned garbanzo beans in soup, I always drain and rinse them to remove the liquid used in canning. This will create a nice, thick soup. Including that liquid will make the soup too thin.
Blend In Greens: For some additional greens in this creamy chickpea soup, I add fresh baby spinach before pureeing. You won’t be able to taste the spinach at all, and you’ll get some extra nutrients! Adjust the salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste.

Nutrition